I’ve been working on building a science-themed reading list for a book club I dream of starting after I defend my Ph.D. (The list of things I’m going to do “after I graduate” is getting to be a little ridiculous.) You can see some of the books I have in mind here.

Although I am writing my dissertation and don’t make much time for pleasure reading right now, I made an exception for this book for a couple of reasons 1) I am particularly interested in the subject of women in science throughout history. 2) Each chapter is very short, only about 4 pages, making it something I could read snippets of when I had a few moments to spare.

Length

First, I want to address the length of the chapters. Depending on what you are looking to get out of this book, the lengths of the stories could make or break this book for you. Each chapter is dedicated to the story of one woman. If you are looking for an in depth analysis of the work, life, achievements, and short-comings of these scientists, this isn’t the book for you. (I would recommend a book more like The Madame Curie Complex by Julie Des Jardins or some of the other books in my reading list.)

If you are looking for an uplifting and empowering book that introduces you to some of the vast accomplishments of women in science throughout history, then I recommend checking out Headstrong. Swaby writes these stories in a way that highlights the ground breaking achievements made by these women. Many of the stories are told in a kick-ass-and-take-names tone that reminds me of the drive and determination of many of the women I have worked with.

Subjects

Another important point to make regarding a book of this nature, is how she chose her subjects. Swaby explains her reasoning a bit in the introduction. These women made groundbreaking discoveries and advancements in their field, but they were also human. Swaby included women with interesting narratives in addition to their science, highlighting that women need not give up the qualities that make them individuals to be successful scientists. Being a “woman in STEM” is not a be-all and end-all of a woman’s identity. This simple and seemingly straightforward fact that women in science have unique personalities and life experiences is still something that many in the field seem to find difficult to grasp.

Additionally, Swaby didn’t include living scientists. With so many excellent women to chose from, the author narrowed the list by attempting to ensure that each woman’s narrative is complete. She does note, however, that white women began seeing opportunities in science before women of color, and she acknowledges that this leads to a striking lack of diversity in the biographies. She mentions that a similar book written even just a few years from now could include women with much more diverse backgrounds, and I hope such a book will be written.

Organization

The biographies are organized into 7 fields: Medicine, Biology and the Environment, Genetics and Development, Physics, The Earth and the Stars, Math and Technology, and Invention. The first three sections are closely related and interestingly, the fields with the most women scientists to this day. I read the stories in order, but as a biologist, I had heard of more of the women at the beginning and was excited to get to the later chapters. However, I found that I had already heard of many of the women in the later chapters because they dealt with more contemporary subjects. In the end, it was the older stories from a century or more ago that I found the most intriguing.

Final verdict

I really dig this book. It was a perfect introduction to the stories of many fascinating scientists. Considering the limited amount of focus I can dedicate to anything but my dissertation right now, this book taught me a few names and stories I probably wouldn’t have heard otherwise, and directed me towards a few to look into in the future.

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